Hot press loader apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for receiving assembled panels, such as assembled veneers for plywood, and which is operable to align the assembled panels, shift these panels into the vertically arranged openings of a hot press, and retaining the panels in the press as the apparatus is withdrawn therefrom.

United States Patent [191 Omelchuk HOT PRESS LOADER APPARATUS AND METHOD [75] Inventor: John Omelchuk, Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada [73] Assignee: MacMillan Bloedel Limited,

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada [22] Filed: Feb. 21, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 334,647

[52] US. Cl 2l4/16.6, 100/196, 144/281 R, 214/152 [51] Int. Cl. B65g 1/06 [58] Field of Search 214/166, 152; 100/196; 144/28] R, 281 D; 425/397 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,606,477 11/1926 McClelland 214/166 Siempelkamp 214/166 Graf et a1 214/166 FORElGN PATENTS OR APPLICATlONS 1,249,142 8/1967 Germany 214/166 858,412 11/1961 Great Britain 100/196 Primary Examiner-Robert G. Sheridan Assistant Examiner-R. B. Johnson Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Fetherstonhaugh & Co.

[ 5 7 ABSTRACT Apparatus for receiving assembled panels, such as assembled veneers for plywood, and which is operable to align the assembled panels, shift these panels into the vertically arranged openings of a hot press, and retaining the panels in the press as the apparatus is withdrawn therefrom.

11 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures 1 HOT PRESS LOADER APPARATUS AND METHOD This invention relates to apparatus for loading assembled panels into a press in which the panels are subjected to heat and pressure for consolidation purposes.

There are numerous press loaders in the prior art, but they are relatively complicated in construction and operation, costly, cause a large percentage of degrades, and require considerable maintenance. For example, one of the press loaders in common use includes a plurality of vertically spaced solid trays, each tray having a chain and sprocket arrangement at each of its ends which move a bar extending therebetween over the trayso that when the apparatus is used in connection with plywood veneers to be consolidated into panels, the outer veneers oftenget caught on the bars and are split, deformed or broken in the narrow space.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a press loader that it built so as to move as a single unit, thereby eliminating the necessity for chains and sprockets between the trays. The apparatus is constructed so that there are relatively large funnel-shaped openings between the trays to reduce or eliminate the deforming of veneers as they are moved on to the trays. In' addition, each tray itself is in the form of a plurality of spaced-apart slats so that debris can drop therethrough, thereby eliminating the possibility of the debris marking or damaging the surfaces of the panels in the press.

Loading apparatus in accordance with this invention comprises a carriage mounted for horizontal back and forth movement and including a plurality of horizontal trays vertically spaced from each other to be loaded with assembled panels to be fed into the press, each tray having an outer edge fixed in position and secured to the carriage and an inner edge free, said inner edges of the trays, when the'loading apparatus is associated with a hot press, being aligned with the openings of the press, power means connected to the carriage for reciprocating said carriage to move said trays into and out of the press, first stop means movable into position after the loaded trays have been moved towards the press so that the assembled panels on the trays engage said stop means and are vertically aligned as the trays are moved outwardly relative to the press, and second stop means movable into position after the loaded trays have been moved into the press so that the panels engage said second stop means and stay in the press when the trays are withdrawn from the press.

A preferred form of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a front or outside elevation of loading apparatus in accordance with this'invention,

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus as seen from line 2--2 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-'-3 of FIG. 1, showing most of the apparatus in plan, and showing a hot press outlined in broken lines at the back of the apparatus,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the carriage alone of the apparatus, but showing only one tray thereof,

FIG. 6 diagrammatically illustrates the apparatus in its normal position and being manually loaded, some parts of the apparatus being omitted for the sake of clarity,

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 6, showing the assembled panels being aligned as the apparatus carriage is moved outwardly relative to the press, and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 7, but showing the carriage as it is being withdrawn from the press after the assembled panels have been moved thereinto.

As the present apparatus is primarily designed for handling plywood veneers assembled and ready to be pressed into plywood panels, the apparatus will be described in connection with the manufacture of plywood, but it is to be understood that it is not necessarily so limited.

During the manufacture of plywood, thin wood veneers are laid up automatically or manually into an assembly or sandwich" which consists of three or more veneers placed one on top of the other. The assembly includes a core layer and two face layers for a three-ply panel, or a plurality of layers with their grains running alternately in different directions for panels of more than three plies, such as, for example, five-ply, sevenply, nine-ply and the like. The glue for securing the plies together is usually applied to the internal plies which have their grain running across the panel as distinct from the other plies, including the face plies, that have the grain running the length of the panel. The present apparatus is concerned with loading these assembled veneers or plies into a hot press where they are subjected to sufficient heat and pressure for a sufficient time to consolidate them into individual plywood panels.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is a loader in accordance with this invention used in association with a hot press 11 which is diagrammatically and partially outlined in FIGS. 3 and 8. The loader is designed to receive a plurality of assembled panels 12, some of these panels being shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. These panels 12 comprise laid-up plywood veneers ready to be consolidated into plywood.

Loading apparatus 10 includes a carriage 20 mounted for movement within an outer frame 22. Carriage 20 consists of two spaced-apart side members 25 and 26 interconnected at the upper ends thereof by a platform 27 and at their lower ends by a cross brace 28. The lower ends of side members 25 and 26 carry wheels 31 and 32 which ride on tracks 33 and 34, respectively, these tracks being positioned within frame 22 and extending towards press 11. A plurality of nose bars 38 extend between side members 25 and 26 and are connected thereto, said bars being vertically spaced to form spaces 39 therebetween.

Carriage 20 is moved back and forth on rails 33 and 34 in any desired manner. In this example, an electric motor 42 and two gear boxes 43 and 44 are mounted on platform 27, said motor being connected to the gears in these boxes by drive shafts 46 and 47, respectively. Vertical drive shafts 49 and 50 are journalled in bearings 51 and 52 mounted on side members and 26, shaft 49 having upper and lower pinions 53 and 54 mounted thereon and shaft having thereon upper and lower pinions 55 and 56. Pinions 53 and 54 mesh with racks 57 and 58 on frame 22, while pinions 55 and 56 mesh with racks 59 and 60 on the frame. The upper ends of shafts 49 and 50 extend to the gear systems of boxes 43 and 44. Motor 42 is reversible so that when it rotates in one direction, carriage 20 is moved towards press 11 through drive shafts 49, 50 and pinions 54, 55 meshing with racks 57, 58, and when it is rotated in the opposite direction, the carriage is moved away from the press.

By referring to FIG. 4, it will be seen that each nose bar 38 is of substantially V-shape cross-section and has a nose 62 facing outwardly from carriage 20. This carriage also includes a plurality of vertically-spaced trays 64, each tray being made up of a plurality of laterallyspaced slots 65 which are secured at their outer ends to one of the nose bars 38, and at their opposite ends to a crossbar 66, see FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Bar 66 constitutes the inner edge of its tray 64, while the adjacent nose bar 38 constitutes the outer edge of said tray. The inner edges of trays 64 are slidably positioned on horizontal bars 68 which extend between and are connected to uprights 69 that form part of an inner frame 70 near press 11.

The conventional press 11 has a plurality of vertically arranged openings, not shown, into which the assembled panels 12 are moved by apparatus 10. As these presses are well known in the art, and as the press does not form part of the present invention, press 11 is not described herein. It is sufficient to say that when carriage 20 is moved towards the press, the trays 64 thereof slide on bars 68 into the openings of the press. When motor 42 is reversed, the carriage is moved away from the press to withdraw the trays therefrom.

Suitable means is provided for aligning the outer edges of the assembled panels 12 after the latter have been placed on trays 64. This is accomplished by moving carriage 20 at least part way into the press, and then shifting vertical squaring bars 72 and 73 inwardly towards the sides of the trays 64. These squaring bars are shown in their inner position in FIGS. 3 and 7, and in their outerposition in FIGS. 6 and 8. Each of the bars 72 and 73 is mounted on a pair of vertically spaced arms 75, the opposite ends of which are swingably mounted on pivot pins 76 carried by crossbars 77 forming part of inner or rear frame 70. The squaring bars 72 and 73 are swung inwardly and outwardly by any suitable power means. In this example, a piston rod 80 of a fluid cylinder 81 is pivotally connected to each upper arm 75 near the pivot end thereof. Cylinders 81 are mounted on brackets 83 carried by outer frame 22.

Suitable means is provided for retaining the assemtween the trays. The sets of arms are moved in any suitable manner, and in this example, fluid cylinders 91 and 92 are provided for this purpose. Cylinders 91 and 92 are mounted on bar 77, and have piston rods 93 and 94 connected at their outer ends to links 95 and 96 which are fixedly secured to the upper ends of shafts 88 and 89, respectively. When piston rods 93 and 94 are extended, the arms 95 and 96 are swung into their outer or open positions away from the press and substantially parallel with the sides of trays 64, and when these piston rods are retracted, arms and 86 are swung into the press openings, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8. These centering arms are normally in their open positions.

The assembled panels 12 can be loaded into apparatus 10 in any desired manner, such as by hand, as shown in FIG. 6, or by suitable feeder conveyors that can feed the panels onto the different trays 64.

When the apparatus is loaded manually, it is usual to provide a platform 98 in front of apparatus 10 which may be raised and lowered in any convenient manner, not shown. These platforms are well known in the industry.

Two men standing on platform 98 shift the assembled panels 12 horizontally in to spaces 39 and on to trays 64 of carriage 20. The V-shape of the nose bars 38 provide entrances that are funnel-shaped in the vertical direction for the spaces 39 so that the assembled panels can be slipped on to the trays without any of the veneers thereof catching on the nose bars. There is nothing in the spaces between the trays for the veneers to catch on. As these trays are made up of spaced slats 65, any debris carried in by the panels can drop downwardly through the spaces between the slats. The men do not have to position the panels accurately on the trays since this is done automatically. It will be noted that the vertical squaring bars 72 and 73 and the centering arms 85 and 86 are in their open or outer positions at this time, see FIG. 6. It will also be noted that the trays 64 are narrower than the lengths of the assembled panels so that the ends of these panels hang outwardly over the tray sides.

Once the carriage is loaded, motor 42 is operated to move the carriage towards press 11 until all of the assembled panels 12 are positioned inwardly of the squaring bars. Then cylinders 81 are operated to shift these bars inwardly until they are positioned close to the sides of the trays, these bars being long enough to overlap all of the trays. Then motor 42 is reversed to shift the carriage outwardly until all of the panels engage squaring bars 72 and 73, as shown in FIG. 7. This squares and aligns all of the outer edges of the panels on the carriage trays. Once this has been done, motor 42 is reversed again, and the carriage is moved towards the press to cause the trays to shift the panels through the press openings and completely into the press. Following this, cylinders 91 and 92 are operated to swing centering arms 85 and 86 into their inner positions at which time they extend into the press openings, as shown in FIG. 3, and then the carriage is moved outwardly while these centering arms retain the panels in position within the press. When the carriage reaches its outer position, centering arms 85 and 86 are swung out of the press and back to their normal positions. It will be noted that when the trays 64 are moving into the press, they engage the panels that were previously consolidated in the press and move them on and out of the far side of the press on to a suitable receiver in accordance with standard practice.

Apparatus is comparatively simple in construction and operation. Carriage is a solid unit which moves into and out of the press, trays 64 are formed of spaced apart slats so that debris, such as knots, wood chips, etc., can fall through them, thus preventing indenting or marking of the surfaces of the panels in thepress. The apparatus is easy to maintain since there are no chains and sprockets for the various trays, and the only moving parts, aside from the carriage itself, are the squaring bars 72, 73 and centering arms 85, 86 with their operating mechanisms. The cross-sectional shape of nose bars 38 makes it easy to load the press. The surfaces of these bars are smooth, and they form large entrances for the spaces between the trays so that the veneers do not get caught on any obstructions as the assembled panels are moved on to the carriage trays.

I claim:

1. Loading apparatus for a hot press having a plurality of vertically arranged openings for receiving assembled panels to be pressed, a frame structure located adjacent said press, said loading apparatus comprising a carriage mounted for horizontal back and forth movement within said frame structure and including a plurality of horizontal trays vertically spaced from each other to be loaded with assembled panels to be fed into the press, each tray having an outer edge fixed in position and secured to the carriage and an inner edge, said inner edges of the trays, when the loading apparatus is associated with a hot press, being aligned with the openings of the press, power means connected to the carriage for reciprocating said carriage to move said trays into and out of the press, first stop means mounted on said frame structure and movable into position after the loaded trays have been moved towards the press so that the assembled panels on the trays engage said stop means and are vertically aligned as the trays are moved outwardly relative to the press, second stop means mounted on said frame structure adjacent said openings and movable into position after the load trays have been moved into the press so that the panels engage said second stop means and stay in the press when the trays are withdrawn from the press and means for moving said first and second stop means.

2. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said inner edges of the trays are free of each other, and including a support for each tray and upon which said each tray slidably rests near the inner edge thereof.

3. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said trays comprises a plurality of spaced-apart slats.

4. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said trays comprises a horizontal nose bar forming the outer edge of said each tray and connected at ends thereof to the carriage.

5. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said trays comprises a horizontal nose bar forming the outer edge of said each tray and connected at ends thereof to the carriage, and a plurality of spacedapart slats connected to the nose bar and extending therefrom to the inner edge of the tray.

6. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the nose bars of the trays are shaped in cross-section to form funnel-like entrances for the horizontal spaces between the trays.

7. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the trays of the carriage are narrower across the direction of movement of the carriage than the length of the assembled panels placed thereon across said movement direction so that ends of the panels overhang sides of the trays.

8. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which said first stop means comprises a vertical squaring bar swingably mounted at each side of the carriage for reciprocal movement relative to the trays, each of said bars being long enough to engage all of the assembled panels on the trays when said each bar is moved towards said trays, and power means connected to said squaring bars selectively to move the bars towards the trays to cause said bars to overlap the overhanging ends of the panels and away from the trays to clear said overhanging ends.

9. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said second stop means comprises a set of vertically spaced and swingably mounted centering arms on each side of the carriage near the inner edges of the trays, each of said sets including a centering arm for and aligned with the space above each tray, the centering arm of each space between trays being small enough to move through said each space, and power means connected to each set of centering arms operable to swing said arms inwardly over the trays and into the press to engage panels on'the trays in the press and outwardly clear of the trays.

10. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which said first stop means comprises a vertical squaring bar swingably mounted at each side of the carriage for reciprocal movement relative to the trays, each of said bars being long enough to engage all of the assembled panels on the trays when said each bar is moved towards said trays, and power means connected to said squaring bars selectively to move the bars towards the trays to cause said bars to overlap the overhanging ends I of the panels and away from the trays to clear said overhanging ends; and said second stop means comprises a set of vertically spaced and swingably mounted centering arms on each side of the carriage near the inner edges of the trays, each of said sets including a centering arm for and aligned with the space above each tray, the centering arm of each space between trays being small enough to move through said each space, and power means connected to each set of centering arms operable to swing said arms inwardly over the trays and into the press to engage panels on the trays in the press and outwardly clear of the trays.

11. The method of loading hot presses having a plurality of vertically arranged openings for receiving assembled panels to be pressed, which comprises loading assembled panels on to vertically spaced trays of a carriage, said trays being aligned with the press openings, moving the carriage inwardly towards the press and shifting first stop means into line with the panels on the trays after said panels have moved past said first stop means, moving the carriage outwardly to vertically align and square the panels by engagement with said stop means, shifting the first stop means clear of the panels, moving the carriage inwardly to shift the trays and panels thereon into the press, shifting second stop means into line with the panels in the press, moving the carriage outwardly from the press while said second stop means retains the panels in the press, and shifting said second stop means clear of the panels and the press. 

1. Loading apparatus for a hot press having a plurality of vertically arranged openings for receiving assembled panels to be pressed, a frame structure located adjacent said press, said loading apparatus comprising a carriage mounted for horizontal back and forth movement within said frame structure and including a plurality of horizontal trays vertically spaced from each other to be loaded with assembled panels to be fed into the Press, each tray having an outer edge fixed in position and secured to the carriage and an inner edge, said inner edges of the trays, when the loading apparatus is associated with a hot press, being aligned with the openings of the press, power means connected to the carriage for reciprocating said carriage to move said trays into and out of the press, first stop means mounted on said frame structure and movable into position after the loaded trays have been moved towards the press so that the assembled panels on the trays engage said stop means and are vertically aligned as the trays are moved outwardly relative to the press, second stop means mounted on said frame structure adjacent said openings and movable into position after the load trays have been moved into the press so that the panels engage said second stop means and stay in the press when the trays are withdrawn from the press and means for moving said first and second stop means.
 2. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said inner edges of the trays are free of each other, and including a support for each tray and upon which said each tray slidably rests near the inner edge thereof.
 3. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said trays comprises a plurality of spaced-apart slats.
 4. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said trays comprises a horizontal nose bar forming the outer edge of said each tray and connected at ends thereof to the carriage.
 5. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said trays comprises a horizontal nose bar forming the outer edge of said each tray and connected at ends thereof to the carriage, and a plurality of spaced-apart slats connected to the nose bar and extending therefrom to the inner edge of the tray.
 6. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the nose bars of the trays are shaped in cross-section to form funnel-like entrances for the horizontal spaces between the trays.
 7. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the trays of the carriage are narrower across the direction of movement of the carriage than the length of the assembled panels placed thereon across said movement direction so that ends of the panels overhang sides of the trays.
 8. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which said first stop means comprises a vertical squaring bar swingably mounted at each side of the carriage for reciprocal movement relative to the trays, each of said bars being long enough to engage all of the assembled panels on the trays when said each bar is moved towards said trays, and power means connected to said squaring bars selectively to move the bars towards the trays to cause said bars to overlap the overhanging ends of the panels and away from the trays to clear said overhanging ends.
 9. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said second stop means comprises a set of vertically spaced and swingably mounted centering arms on each side of the carriage near the inner edges of the trays, each of said sets including a centering arm for and aligned with the space above each tray, the centering arm of each space between trays being small enough to move through said each space, and power means connected to each set of centering arms operable to swing said arms inwardly over the trays and into the press to engage panels on the trays in the press and outwardly clear of the trays.
 10. Loading apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which said first stop means comprises a vertical squaring bar swingably mounted at each side of the carriage for reciprocal movement relative to the trays, each of said bars being long enough to engage all of the assembled panels on the trays when said each bar is moved towards said trays, and power means connected to said squaring bars selectively to move the bars towards the trays to cause said bars to overlap the overhanging ends of the panels and away from the trays to clear said overhanging ends; and said second stop means comprises a set of vertically spaCed and swingably mounted centering arms on each side of the carriage near the inner edges of the trays, each of said sets including a centering arm for and aligned with the space above each tray, the centering arm of each space between trays being small enough to move through said each space, and power means connected to each set of centering arms operable to swing said arms inwardly over the trays and into the press to engage panels on the trays in the press and outwardly clear of the trays.
 11. The method of loading hot presses having a plurality of vertically arranged openings for receiving assembled panels to be pressed, which comprises loading assembled panels on to vertically spaced trays of a carriage, said trays being aligned with the press openings, moving the carriage inwardly towards the press and shifting first stop means into line with the panels on the trays after said panels have moved past said first stop means, moving the carriage outwardly to vertically align and square the panels by engagement with said stop means, shifting the first stop means clear of the panels, moving the carriage inwardly to shift the trays and panels thereon into the press, shifting second stop means into line with the panels in the press, moving the carriage outwardly from the press while said second stop means retains the panels in the press, and shifting said second stop means clear of the panels and the press. 